Sunday Column (392)

Another week. Another Brexit? Sure, the England team left the European Cup. Whilst I don’t really follow the UEFA cup, the last few games are the ones that are interesting. Opposite to the actual Brexit in politics, the UEFA cup becomes more interesting as we go along, the real hype is the final. Whilst the real hype for Brexit was last week; things now turn into more of a day to day life again, with of course lots of politics, embarrassing speeches, unbelievable positioning etc. etc. I am sure you are following it and if you follow my blog and comments, you will agree. Never mind, let’s park politics for today.

Then we had more losses. 2016 seems to be a year of a lot of celebrities dying, which includes two actors of my childhood. Unfortunately, we also had someone in the family dying. No matter how much you expect someone to move on, you never really ever come to terms with it. You look at the pictures, the memories, the shared experience and think that he will be in a better place. Their journey is over, always too soon. Yet, we cannot hang on to life forever. One of the few certainties of life is death.

I started my exercise regime again this week. After Cannes last week, I decided it is time to challenge myself again. I did a 10K and a 7.5K run. Some kettle bells, body resistance and a healthier diet. I am feeling a lot better again. But I am not sleeping well. Something keeps me occupied, I wake up in the middle of the night. I am stressed it seems, and I also seem to have some allergy. Luckily I got that confirmed by a colleague as he had the same symptoms. They seem similar to a hungover but they weren’t. Some hay fever tablets sorted me out. I never had any allergic reactions like that in my life before, but puffy eyes and a feeling of ‘temperature’ paired with tiredness aren’t good. Particularly if you are under pressure to deliver results.

Where are we today. July just started. The first half of the year is gone, we are in the run up to Christmas. Amazing how quickly time flies. Or scary if you like. Either way I feel like I need a break. I am debating to take some time off, go away but find myself that I’d rather spend some time with the family or work, or get things done. I seem to not be able to slow down. I live life in the fast lane. Just this week a new client told me how he follows my blog and tweets for years, and seems to know me so well. We had so much in common. I am somewhat a celebrity in the industry, yet I am not a rock star. But I will be.

I will be a rock star. The reason I am saying this is as I am working on my master plans for my book. Realising it takes forever if I continue at the current pace, I will make changes to my daily routine to fit in more reviews and more work on the book. I want this book to be published by mid next year and help more people by doing so. It stays a side project and will not impact my work and other commitments, but I MUST make more progress. I am excited about the prospects of it becoming a must read book. Something you want to read, apply and have at hand when planning things, making decisions and working on personal development. A guide, a friend, a mentor. On the back of that I could work on subscription based models to create a passive income. I believe that is possible. The idea isn’t really mine but one of my American mentors, yet the challenge is to have the critical mass which of course you achieve a lot quicker and easier in America – that country is just a little big bigger than the UK 😉

I am winning. Are you?
A rhetorical question. Maybe. I am listening to a lot of podcasts recently and managed to catch up with a few friends this week. It happened to be one of those weeks where you realised where you are and what people think. What is happening and where do you fit in. On the train, on the plane, in a meeting, at lunch. Connections and the greater universe. The law of attraction. The idea building machine which is called your conscious. Rumours about people. Sad news. Actors dying I have known since my childhood. Heroes for me. A friend died. Other people being sick. And there am I, what am I complaining about, I am winning. But I am far from the finishing line because I chose that relay race. I am doing the runs and do them fast, quick and efficient. I drive the team, the situation and then I leave it to the capable hands of the next person. That’s what I do. I connect people and was nominated by someone this week as the most connected person in adtech. Maybe I am. Still just short of 6,000 contacts on Linkedin, the quality is what matters. The relationship building and the depth of those relationships. Speaking to another mentor this week, I got reassured that the winning formula is in your head. You sort your head, you sort your life, your sleep, your job, your family. Another one suggested the inner peace and self awareness in the now. Step by step, I am winning.

It puts a smile on my face to write about it. I cannot really express what I am trying to say and some people might say I talk a lot of rubbish. The connectivity with one inner self. The living in the moment. The roses, the moment you stop and smell them? Your remember. The moment you reach out to your child’s hand and pull him close to you for a cuddle. The energy flow to attract the life you wanted. The energy flow. The love. The happiness. The inner peace. The tranquility. The balance. The secret.

Life is too damn short. Too short at any one time. So why not surround yourself with people that enrich your life rather than people that pull you down. I don’t need negativity in my life and people that are too stupid to understand. Understand value. People that do not want to understand or have lower values than I have. Jim Rohn says that you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with. Those must be big. Who are your 5? Those must challenge you. Those must be the ones that help you grow, not the ones that pull you down. And by changing exactly that approach, by living and winning, we are in the process of becoming who we are. And success will be drawn to people who are successful and are winning.

Enough about life’s little secrets.
Enough about the future.

The future is now. Your moment is now.
Breathe it.
Breathe out.
Live it.
Make it happen.

Have a fantastic week, and to my US friends, enjoy a nice 4th of July!